Kitchen/Eating Area/Family Room Layout
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Anonymous
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The back wall of my house has a formal dining room, small kitchen with eating area, and family room. I personally don't think a formal dining room is that important and most likely would only use it for holidays. I'm considering expanding the kitchen and giving up the formal dining room. My question is about the layout.
Does it make more sense to have the kitchen in the back left corner, then the eating in the middle (roughly) and then the family room in the back right corner or to have the eating area in the back left corner, kitchen in the center, and family room in the back right corner? I think I like the idea of the layout being kitchen, eating area, family room best, but I wonder if the kitchen in the middle is actually a better option as it puts the kitchen closer to the family room, which is where I suspect people will actually hang out while preparation/cooking/clean up is going on. Am I over thinking this? The total space is about 50ft wide. TIA! |
Anonymous
| I would probably prefer to have the kitchen in the middle of everything. |
Anonymous
| We have a 40's cape with an expanded kitchen and family room bumpout from the previous owners. You walk from the living room in the front through the kitchen (between a matched baker's rack and a central island with stools - used to be the tiny dining room) then back into the family room. The family room is big enough for our dining room set on the side closest to the kitchen appliances, with the couch/TV on the other side. I was kind of bummed at first to lose my formal dining room (had one in our previous house) but this layout actually betters suits how we live. |
Anonymous
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We have an everyday dining room (can be formal if we need it to be, but mostly use it for daily family meals). It's between our kitchen and family room. We had to move a few things around (basically relocate the kitchen peninsula) to make this work, but it's a great setup for us.
To make the dining area seem more formal, it has wood floors, whereas kitchen is tiled and family room has carpet. |
Anonymous
+1 if you think about how many families live today, one parent is cooking while the kids are playing in the family room. then, everyone or people are called for dinner, and they all sit in the dining room. You could go b/t kitchen/family room or kitchen/dining room with the kitchen in the middle very easily. FWIW, I bought a house with an addition--larger kitchen with an eat-in area on one side, formal dining room on the other side. (family room is downstairs). We made the "formal" dining room into a coloring/homework/craft table for the kids, but we eat in the eating area. (no need to move things off the table at dinner all the time.) Only wish the family room was on the same floor/visible from the kitchen, but anyway. We use the formal dining room twice a year (Thanksgiving, etc.) but this way it gets used every week with the kids art projects, etc. |
Anonymous
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I love the setup where the kitchen is a separate room.
No need to listen to the tv noise I can use blender and mash potatoes etc and the noise does not bother others And my kitchen does not have to be spotless, because it is more hidden And I love familly dinners in the dining room Not for everyone though |
Anonymous
I kind of like this too. I agree with the idea of noise and especially keeping the kitchen spotless at all times. In our old apartment we had an old galley kitchen that was not visible from the living area and I loved being able to keep it messy during a busy day without having to clean several times. It didn't bother me to have unwashed dishes or stuff scattered around the counter when I could not see it unless I went to the kitchen. Now, with the open floor plan, it is much more distracting to have stuff on the kitchen counters everyone can see throughout the day. It's like you must keep it spotless to have the overall look of a well organized household. My main reason for a separate kitchen with the door is that I hate the smell of food in the living room and especially bedrooms and when the floor plan is open, the smells do permeate the entire house. I don't like to go to sleep with the kitchen smells. So, for the OP, I would put the kitchen further away from the bedroom areas, like the hallway leading to the bedrooms or the staircase and make sure it has good ventilation. |
Anonymous
You are not overthinking it, you have to make a decision since you have choices. You should look at your lifestyle and decide, how do you use your kitchen? Does your family life revolve around kitchen at all times? Will this change if kids get a bit older and how will your new layout accommodate the needs of more independent older kids. For us, I would choose the plan where there is kitchen, followed by the dining room, followed by the family room. It is because we don't cook much and don't spend much time in the kitchen, our lives don't revolve around this area of the house. We do a lot of take out and our meals are very simple, not requiring spending much time cooking. Often DH and I eat in front of the TV when our kid goes to sleep, meaning, that we don't have a need for a formal dining area. We might be that family eating from the take-out containers on the couch or our screened porch with our older kids, LOL. So, my advice may not be relevant for you if you spend a lot of time cooking meals and your family likes to sit down to dinner at the same time and you will maintain this type of culture as your kids get older. Also, if you entertain a lot and your guests often spend time with you in the kitchen, you may want to make it further from the family room if this is not the place you want your guests to hang out at. |
Anonymous
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I'd be tempted to put the kitchen in the corner, dining area in the middle, then the family room area. I think that will give you more flexibility. 20 for Thanksgiving? No problem, just rearrange the furniture in the dining/family room.
But we use our formal dining room every night for dinner. We have stools at the counter for breakfast (and lunch, when we are home). I also like have a little distance between the family room and kitchen, as it helps curb boredom eating. |
Anonymous
| get a small kitchen, then you will not have to host 20 for xgiving |
Anonymous
| I'd look into newer houses on the market online for the photos and possibly go to some open houses to check out the layouts. For me it's really helpful to spend time in an actual space I like (or don't like) when I'm making this type of decision. |
Anonymous
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We decided we did not like the kitchen open to the family room idea. We didn't like the feeling of always being in the kitchen, and my husband, who loves to cook, finds it more relaxing to putter around in the kitchen by himself.
We put the kitchen, with an eat-in area, in the front of our house and a family room open to an informal dining room in the back, just off the kitchen. We use the dining room as a extension of the family room and play games and do crafts etc. but it's a nice big area so we can host a crowd for holidays and parties. We usually eat in the kitchen, however, when it's just the four of us. |
Anonymous
| It really depends on your family dynamic/ lifestyle. With young kids, I would think the open floor plan would be nice to be able to watch them in the family room while you cooked/prepared dinner. If this is not an issue, I could see how it would be nice not to be in one big room as cooking can be loud and interfer with the TV. If you like to entertain I think the big open space is best as everyone usually hangs out in the kitchen space and you aren't as restricted. |
Anonymous
| I like kitchen - table/dining - family room best, but keep in mind that relocating your kitchen and all the utilities will add ezponentially to the cost. I think it could work the way it is, and simply taking down walls and adding and island or whatever. |